ABT Fan
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Posts posted by ABT Fan
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10 minutes ago, MoMo said:
Where is the casting posted? Thank you.
https://www.scfta.org/events/2023/american-ballet-theatre-s-the-nutcracker
It's not on ABT's website yet.
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5 minutes ago, California said:
We have no way of knowing, of course. I've actually wondered how ABT could afford China at all! A subsidy from the US state department? China? Some national airlines seem to provide air travel for visitors like this, although (again) we have no way of knowing and I haven't seen anything about this kind of support. Just think of the cost of shipping costumes and sets, never mind the dancers!
American Airlines is their airline sponsor, but I’ve always wondered how that worked. I can’t imagine they get free tickets, so are they partially subsidized? And, not to open a Pandora’s box, but since you mentioned sets and costumes, oh my that cost alone, but they’d also have to be insured, and shipped in such a way that they are guaranteed to arrive. The cost and that coordination….yikes.
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47 minutes ago, California said:
Trivia of the day: Judging from several Instagram Stories, ABT dancers are now on an 18-hour flight to China. From their postings: corps members fly economy (Roxander) and principals business/first (Cornejo)
I was wondering if those flying biz/first are doing so at their own expense (yes, expensive) or used miles to upgrade themselves. I think the later is a possibility given how so many, like Boylston, do lots of guesting and therefore must have tons of miles to use. Would ABT really have the means to pay for the 16 principals going to travel first class?
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3 minutes ago, abatt said:
There was a ballet ABT did at City Center that required an opera singer and was about the death of children and a grieving community. Anyone recall what the title was? It was very moving.
I believe you’re thinking of AFTERRITE. (The “rite” was italicized I think, which I can’t do on my phone…) But that was at the Koch, so maybe you’re referring to a different ballet.
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Did anyone attend yesterday? Curious how Curley and Trenary did in their Dnipro debuts.
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One bright spot regarding R&J: we will be able to see Roxander’s Mercutio again. If you haven’t seen it yet, go. And, hopefully Curley will get a Tybalt debut.
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1 hour ago, onxmyxtoes said:
I went to a talk for donors and a member of the artistic staff said Romeo and Juliet is back next Met.
Carlos Lopez, one of the ballet masters, wrote that on an IG post awhile back. Ugh.
I only hope it's used as a vehicle for a retirement, or two.
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24 minutes ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:
Saw yesterday's matinee of Single Eye/Depuis Le Jour/Dnipro.
The unexpected standout of the afternoon was Michael de la Nuez, who had a soloist role in Single Eye and danced Olga's Fiancé in Dnipro. He was excellent in both, and especially stood out in Single Eye for his fluidity and speed, especially because some of the other prominently featured dancers (most notably Shevchenko) looked stiff and not at home with King's more contemporary choreography. Royal was also in the cast of Single Eye that I saw, and I agree with @ABT Fan that he looked great. Devon was also excellent in Single Eye: it felt like she was fully inhabiting the steps whereas Shevchenko just seemed to be marking them off. I liked Single Eye (some interesting push/pull pas de deuxs) but I felt like overall the company didn't quite do it justice.
Depuis Le Jour began promisingly enough, with some interesting choreography where the two dancers are on the floor together, but once they got up it was just windmilling arms and legs over and over again, which felt quite repetitive even though the pas de deux is just seven minutes. Sebastian and Williams made as much of it as anyone could have, I'm sure.
Dnipro: Memories of the original cast loomed large for me over this performance. I'm sorry to say that watching Forster and Park in this mostly made me really, really miss Gomes and Part (who originated Sergiy and Natalia). Park does not have Part's flexible, expressive "Vaganova back" and some of Natalia's choreography lost its impact on her. I thought she danced well, but more so capturing Natalia's initial delight at her reunion at Sergei than in the evoking the depths of her heartbreak. I wanted more despair! Catherine Hurlin was excellent as Olga and could have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the OG cast. This role is a great showcase for her warp-speed turns and big jump: you can see how Sergiy would be drawn in by her vibrant presence. And as mentioned above, de la Nuez, who Jaffe seems to be spotlighting more prominently recently, was great in the role Hallberg originated. I really like Dnipro as a ballet and am glad to see it back on ABT's stage.
I agree that Nuez was excellent in Single Eye. I was happy to see him featured. The last time the company did Dnipro, which was before the pandemic, I saw Hurlin as Olga. She was a newly appointed soloist then and this was one of her first principal roles. I thought it was a natural fit for her and was impressed with her dramatic scale at such a young age. I was sorry to miss her this time around. I’ve also seen Forster as Sergiy and really loved him in this role, but no one can compare to Gomes.
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Just left tonights performance, and last program of the season.
I liked Single Eye, my first time seeing it, though the frequent windmill/flailing arm motions with flexed wrists got old quickly. Thought the men’s tunics were very flattering, especially on Royal, and the backdrops were effective. This is the type of work that Royal excels in - wonderful use of his long arms and legs and expressive body. Breanne Granlund made her first appearance of the season I think. I don’t think she was cast in anything else was she? Boylston and Forster are a very good match.
Gemma Bond’s pas de deux was a brief, unnecessary triffle. Seo and Ahn did what they could; poor use of her. The singer was excellent.
Loved seeing Dnipro again. Teuscher is beautiful as Natalia; quiet yet touching, nuanced and impactful acting. I wish Forster or Curley were cast tonight as Sergiy. Whiteside’s mastery of petit allegro was on full display. Shevchenko was fine as Olga. I’ve found for quite awhile now that her dancing just doesn’t do it for me - something is always missing and I can’t always articulate what that is, except that tonight I wasn’t moved. I thought years ago that she would become one of my favorites, but that hasn’t happened.
Roxander was absolutely the highlight of this short season - his performance in Etudes will be hard to beat- If only I could have seen his Puck. 😩
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26 minutes ago, WLH said:
Was Bottom perhaps Melvin Lawovi?
Yep, according to his IG:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyop47PgfIE/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
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Any additional thoughts on Roxander’s final Puck last night, or on the evening as a whole? It pains me that I had miss him in this role so thanks to everyone for their thoughts.
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11 minutes ago, bingham said:
He’s one of the new apprentices and he is impressive. As for the “ medical emergency “, he was conscious and was seen talking to his family and was given bottled water. Just amazed they did not have a WC to take him out. It looked like they did not call EMS at all.
Ah, thanks for the correction. Glad he’s an apprentice now. I’m sure we’ll see big things from him.
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2 minutes ago, matilda said:
I wasn't there, but could it have been Takumi Miyake, the Royal Ballet School graduate generating lots of buzz? https://www.instagram.com/taku.ballet/?hl=en
I was just going to say the same. He’s in the studio company. There are lots of clips of him on his own IG plus on the Studio Company/ABT YouTube channel. Huge talent!
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Aran Bell danced tonight, right? How was he?
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11 minutes ago, tutu said:
At the gala performance (not the party) — they paused after the R&J excerpt for a medical emergency with an audience member in the orchestra level.
Oh my! Hope that person is ok.
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If anyone wants to read the recent letter from the dancers/stage managers sent to management, see the link in the article here. Sounds quite dire.
https://www.musicalartists.org/agma-releases-letters-sent-to-abt-management-in-2017-and-2023/
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A clip of Roxander rehearsing Puck is below, flying high. You can also see Robare in the background, clearly marking Oberon. I assume he’s the understudy and we’ve seen him actually rehearse with Trenary. I’m a broken record, but why couldn’t they have given him just one show, instead of Camargo for all 4? The corps dancers with potential need opportunities!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CywEQFtgKCl/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
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1 minute ago, bingham said:
The Met season is usually announced at the end of the Fall season. Is Susan going to surprise us with her selections?
I would love that, but there’s little room for surprises at this point. It’s only 4 weeks, and we already know they’re doing Woolf Works, Swan Lake, and Carlos Lopez said on his IG awhile ago that R&J will come back (again…). So that leaves either one more full length or a weeks worth of mixed rep. Ugh. So for me the biggest surprise (or relief if I’m being honest) will be to see who will be promoted (whenever that happens) and who will be retiring. Or, maybe we’ll see some huge debuts, other than Misseldine in SL.
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1 hour ago, matilda said:
Of course, she has quite the uphill battle dealing with the current staffing situation. Of the male principals, only Bell and Camargo are exciting in the big classics nowadays. Whiteside, Stearns, Cornejo, and Forster are nearing retirement, and I really think Ahn and Royal should have stayed soloists. Other than Roxander and Curley the corps, I'm not sure if anyone else is truly ready to step into roles like Albrecht, Siegfried, etc.
Agree completely. Unfortunately, I think she’ll need to bring in some outside hires (principals or soloists with potential to move up) as there aren’t enough young men nearly ready to step up.
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I had more of an issue with the floor. Pointe shoes sounded like horseshoes clobbering the floor! But you can’t blame the women because the men jumping hit with loud thuds, even light-footed and tiny Magbitang. What did they do to the floor? It was never that loud before.
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20 minutes ago, MoMo said:
After a whirlwind of a Met season last summer, it’s saddens me to say I will not be performing this Fall Season due to a back injury. I’m on the mend but my body still needs time to heal. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to supporting my colleagues on the fantastic season they have ahead of them and soaking up the inspiration for when I come back. (This is Tyler Maloney’ s post on his FB dates October 4th). This is why he is not dancing Bottom, as he normally would.
Maloney posted this on his IG as well:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx-9GwtgHzY/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
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9 minutes ago, California said:
Just a few small things to add to the many insightful comments on Sunday's matinee:
- Elwince Magbitang was a perfectly good Puck, but it's difficult to overcome the standard set by Roxander the night before.
- Daniel Camargo was superb and a good actor/comedian. Beautiful long lines.
Yes - I fully admit that my less-than-stellar perception of Magbitang is probably diminished by Roxander. He was still very good. And, agree about Carmargo's beautiful lines.
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This afternoon was quite flat with an audience that seemed mostly asleep.
I didn’t find Ballet Imperial musty looking with the gorgeously elaborate costumes and decor. I found the royal blue curtains bold and fresh. But I understand why this scenery would not appeal to some. Choreographically, it was not my cup of tea. Between the super slow tempo and continuous formal gesturing and posturing, I was expecting Czar Nicholas II to make an entrance. The corps danced well overall but struggled staying in line. Lea Fleytoux stood out for all the right reasons. Shevchenko was regal, but she seemed nervous and tentative. Her dancing was mostly secure but not special. No sparkle. Royal is naturally elegant and his partnering was very solid, but he lacks the clean technique necessary for a white tights ballet. The highlight was absolutely Misseldine as the second ballerina. Crisp, sharp footwork, beautiful use of her head and upper body, sissones that sliced the air with beautifully pointed feet. Energy and stamina to spare. Her two lieutenants Li and Park were perfectly matched as were her two suitors, Han and Frenette (subbing for Sebastian). Frenette especially danced very clean.
The Dream was not a dream today. Murphy’s Titania was depressing. No energy, stiff back and upper body, low arabesques, and she fell off pointe repeatedly. I kept thinking of Trenary in this last year, lush and spritely, whom I should have seen today before they switched the casting. Respectfully, it is past time for Murphy to retire. Carmargo’s Oberon was very good. It is too bad we didn’t get to see Bell’s debut. Magbitang’s Puck was very solid with high elevation on his jumps, but at certain points he almost seemed to be marking. And, I saw no progression from his interpretation last year. Hoven's Bottom was also poorly executed, falling off pointe in several sections with a very underwhelming interpretation.
I suppose today was bound to be some sort of let down after seeing the extraordinary Roxander the other night, but I still expected better.
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11 hours ago, California said:
Roxander's Puck was everything you'd expect, and more. His height, extension, speed, versatility, presence - stunning throughout. I'm sure all would agree who saw him.
I'm starting to wonder what's next -- he hasn't shown us much partnering yet, a skill he will obviously need to carry the full-length ballets. But it's thrilling to have somebody we can't wait to see again, no matter what it is.
Thank you, and thanks to MRR and Rick for your thoughts on Roxander's Puck. No surprises, just wish I could see it! 😩
What is next for him - great question - and agree he needs more roles that require partnering. They're doing Giselle in China in a few weeks where I'm sure he'll reprise the peasant pas a few times. He's only done Harlequin in Nutcracker and he could easily do the Chinese dance which has some partnering. Swan Lake is coming up in February and I hope he'll get a Benno debut. He will need experience in roles such as these, though less glamorous than Etudes and Puck. From there we'll have to see what Jaffe programs for the next Met season. I wonder if she'll dust off more classics or bring back some ballets that we haven't seen in years. Besides the obvious (Basilio, Albrecht - in the future...) I can easily see him in Cinderella, La Fille, even T&V. He's killing everything that's being thrown at him now so I wouldn't be surprised if we see another big debut then.
World Ballet Day 2023
in Heads up!
Posted · Edited by ABT Fan
I believe the woman in grey/olive was Yoon Seo (edited: never mind, I see above that it's Kimora.)
The woman with short hair you were looking at is Abbey Marrison (it was curly, right?). The blond in red is Elizabeth Beyer.
Crispino and Nuez did look great, as others said. And, even in class Roxander was amazing.
I was also surprised at how many dancers were missing, but then again that studio was packed so I doubt the entire company would have fit anyway. No Curley, Han, Hoven, Williams, Stearns, Shevchenko, Cornejo, Seo, Royal, Murphy, Hurlin, etc. Perhaps they had rehearsal or were saving themselves for performance.
Also, if you didn't catch it, the Studio Company also put out a clip of Raymonda Suite for World Ballet Day. All of the dancers featured are in the company now except one, and their technique and maturity on display here is incredible.